I Couldn't Sleep
by Lyssa2
Summary: H/Hr - When Harry can't sleep, he looks into the fire, and thinks about his feelings, that's when he realizes he likes Hermione...r/r please!


Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room at two in the morning. He gazed  
into  
the fire. Somehow, despite the December weather, the fire always warmed  
you up.  
However, it was not flames he saw in the fireplace, it was Hermione's face.  
His crush on  
Cho Chang was simply his mind trying to hide who he actually was thinking  
of.  
Hermione. When he found out that Cho was going with Cedric Diggory to the  
Yule Ball  
last year, he was sad, but he didn't linger on the fact. And when he saw  
Hermione with  
Viktor Krum, well, it simply struck him the wrong way. He didn't  
understand why until he returned to the Dursley's that summer. He truly  
liked Hermione. However, it would be devastating to tell her, even more to  
tell Ron. He'd actually had a hard time keeping it to himself all year.  
He couldn't tell any person, or else the two of them would find out one way  
or another, and he didn't trust books anymore. Who knew what memories were  
lurking in them, waiting for people to find them. But he'd managed alone  
until Christmas Break, so he figured he'd be all right. "Couldn't sleep?"  
a voice asked him. He turned around sharply. There stood Hermione, in her  
sleeping robe. He smiled.  
"No." he answered. She sat down next to him in another chair.  
"What were you thinking about? That wasn't normal fire gazing," Hermione  
said, with a knowing look. He let out a fake laugh.  
"Oh, nothing, nothing important," he said, shaking his head. Nothing I'd  
tell you anyhow. She nodded, but could tell there was more behind it.  
"So," she started. She sighed and looked into the fire as well, "You don't  
do this every night do you?" She asked with concern.  
"Oh, no," he began with a laugh, "Just when I can't sleep," he said.  
"Who are you taking to the Yule Ball this year?" Hermione asked. He  
stopped and thought. He hadn't thought about the Ball. His first instinct  
was to ask Hermione, but considering last year, that didn't sound like a  
good idea.  
"Oh, I don't know. I suppose I'll just ask someone at the last minute.  
Last year didn't turn out so bad." he said, with a half smile. "Who are  
you going with?" he asked. She looked into the fire.  
"No one, yet. I don't think I'll go this year. Last year was far too much  
trouble, with my hair and all," she said, as a weak smile appeared on her  
face.  
"I think you look fine without the fancy hair," he stopped. "I mean, your  
hair suits you.um, fancy just isn't you, you know? Oh, what do I know  
about hair?" He asked, feeling quite foolish. He knew that didn't sound  
right. Hermione was smiling.  
"Oh yes, you and your wild hair. We'd make quite a couple, you and I," she  
said, then stopped smiling, "you know, both of us have untamed hair, and  
all," she said, turning away. Harry smiled on the inside. He wouldn't  
mind her head of hair, if she went to the Ball with him. However, it would  
be considerably awkward. Oh, bloody hell, what did it matter?  
"So why don't we, as a laugh?" Harry suggested, with complete shock  
afterwards. Did he just say those words? He'd just asked her to go to the  
Ball. Hermione looked slightly nervous. "Oh, but you said you weren't  
going, I remember," he decided to clear up any awkward silences for her to  
actually think about why he'd actually asked her.  
"It would be a good laugh, wouldn't it?" she asked, as if she were afraid  
to speak. Harry swallowed hard. It wouldn't be a laugh if she had said  
no. Can you imagine? Turned down, but his own best friend! But why in  
God's name would she say yes? She was he best friend! It just wasn't  
right."Alright then. For the sake of laughter," she replied, with a smile.  
Harry couldn't believe his ears. "But Ron, this will be quite  
uncomfortable." she said.  
"Yes, it will," Harry agreed.  
"I mean, you and I, together," she forced a laugh, "quite unusual, isn't  
it? I mean, not that it's not likely, but just, strange for Ron's sake,  
and all," she babbled on.  
"Well, it's bound to happen, and it could have happened to either of us.  
This has been coming for a while," Harry said, taking a deep breath. Was  
it possible that she was trying to explain the same thing he was? He felt  
as if their conversation had drifted from the Ball to something else.  
"Yes, and he'd have to find out eventually.right?" Hermione asked.  
"Yes, of course. I mean, he's our best friend," Harry said, assuring  
himself. There was silence, for what seemed like a long time. Harry stood  
up. He hated silences. "Well, I think I'll be able to get to sleep now."  
he said, with a different tone. She stood up as well.  
"Yes, I agree," she said with a forced smile. There was another moment of  
silence. They simply looked at each other, almost as if they were afraid  
to move. Harry desperately wanted to know what was going through that mind  
of hers. Hermione closed her eyes. "Well, good night then," she said,  
stepping quickly over towards him. Within a moment, she kissed him on the  
cheek, and before she could run away, he grabbed her hand, with a smile.  
"Good night," he said, then kissed her cheek. She smiled and walked up the  
girl's staircase. Before Harry could walk across the room to the boy's  
staircase, Ron quickly and quietly ran back to his bed. He threw his  
covers over himself, and closed his eyes. Before he tried to fall asleep,  
he smiled and whispered,  
"It's about time." 


End file.
